Restriction of blood flow by applying compression has been shown to speed up muscle growth and muscle strength. The invention of U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,618 is limited, however, in that applying too much compression to the circumference of an extremity of a human body can be dangerous, because an embolism can result. Under these conditions, a blood clot can form, break off, and become lodged in the brain or heart. Moreover, in the absence of precisely controlled core body cooling, reducing the rate at which blood circulates in an extremity can produce an unbearable amount of pain for most people.
The background art is also characterized by the products of Life Enhancement Technologies, Inc. (LET). LET has developed and patented a line of personal cooling products for medical, military, industrial, and consumer applications. One of these products is Flexitherm™, a proprietary liquid heat transfer system made of a thin, flexible, conductive material, which transports fluid to provide direct conductive cooling. LET products embody technologies disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,138,743; 4,691,762; 4,884,304; 5,033,136, and 6,551,347, the disclosure of which patents are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
The background art is also characterized by published articles. Relevant articles include Ober, C. “Grounding the human body to neutralize bioelectrical stress from static electricity and EMFs”, EDS Journal; Becker, R. O., “Body Electric”; Becker R. O., “Cross Currents”, and Metz, C. et al, “Moderate hypothermia in patients with severe head injury: cerebral and extracerebral effects”, comment in J. Neurosurg. 1997, May, 85(5):911-914.
What is needed is an apparatus and method for increasing vascular performance of humans by simultaneously lowering core body temperature, compression of blood vessels, and grounding of the body in a controlled way.